Compressed-air engine.



No. 662,!89 Patented Nov. 20,1900.

M. FLOOD.

COMPRESSED AIR ENGINE.

(Application filed Sept. 21, 1897.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets8heet I.

m: mums PETERS co. momumu vusnmamn, a. c.

m. 662,l89.. Patented Nv. 20, I900.

M. FLOOD.

COMPRESSED AIR ENGINE.

(Aliplication filed Sept. 21, 1897.)

2 Sh'eetsSheet 2.

Model.)

. flfawkew F Z006 Witnesses, A I [nu-12150:

/ flguhd' dZ/WZ aworn m mm mm co.. m wvm. wmmm. D. c.

llNiTE 'ATENT Grrrcn.

MATTHEW FLOOD, OF ALBANY, NENV YORK.

COMPRESSED-AIR ENGINE.

sPECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 662,189, dated November 20, 1900.

Application filed September 21, 1897. Serial No. 652,427. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MATTHEW FLOOD, a citi- Zen of the United States, residing at Albany, in the county of Albany and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Compressed-Air Engines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to compressed-air engines and air-compressing mechanisms operated by the same and air-heating devices for expanding the compressed air supplied to the cylinder of the engine; anditconsistsin novel devices and novel combinations and arrangements of parts, as hereinafter set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

The objects of my invention are to provide with a pair of compressed-air tanks mechanism operated by an engine by which charges of compressed air discharged from such tanks for operating said engine may be replaced by fresh air under compression; also to provide between each one of a pair of compressed-air tanks and the piston of the cylinder of an airengine a heater ad apted to expand the charges of compressed air working said piston, and, further, to provide with the compressed-air heaters and suitable electric conductors an electric switching mechanism automatically making and breaking electric currents between said heaters automatically, as required.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be fully understood from the following description and claims when taken in connection with the annexed drawings, in

which Figure l is a side elevation illustrating the several devices and mechanisms and combinations of thesame in my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan of thesarpe. Fig. 3 is an end View of the same VlBWu as in direction of arrow 1 in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an elevation, on an enlarged scale illustrating a preferred form of heaters, electric switching mechanism,elec tric conductors, air-valve to the air-chest of the cylinder of an engine, and mechanism for simultaneously operating said switching mechanism and air-valve.

Like letters of reference refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

In the drawings, A A are a pair of compressed-air tanks, which tanks may be of any suitable form of construction and of such preferred size and capacity as maybe found to be advantageous. These tanks are preferably arranged near each other and are each provided with a suitable pressure-gage, as a, for indicating the pressure of the air within. Figs. 1 and 2 show these tanks to be connected by pipe A, provided with check-valves a a and st.opvalves a a and any suitable air-supply pipe A may be connected with any selected form of primary air-compressing mechanism (not shown) for charging said tanks with air up to preferred pressure. This primary air-compressing mechanism may be similar to that shown in Letters Patent No. 519,383, issued to me and dated May 8, 1894:, and be operated by hand or other power, as may be preferred.

Bis an air-engine, which may be of any preferred form of construction, and B is the cylinder of the same, within which cylinder.

works piston 11, (indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1,)which piston,through its pitman,drives the driving-wheel B of the engine and any driving-pulley which may be mounted on the shaft of said driving-wheel.

O is the air-chest, which maybe of any preferred form of construction and provided with valves and ports communicating with the chamber of cylinder B for operating with the heated compressed air to be supplied to the cylinder. The valves (not shown) may be operated by any suitable rods, eccentrics, and other suitable mechanism of any preferred kind as maybe adapted to give to such valve or valves their proper movements for con trolling the passage of the compressed air into and out from the said cylinder.

D D are air-compressing pumps, which are respectively connected with the condensedair tanks A A by means of pipes D D and their respective branch pipes d cl, which pipes and their respective branches are each provided with check-valves d, and the cylinders of the respective pumps D are each provided with intake check-valves d 01 one at each end, all as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. These pumps may be of any known form of construction, yet at present I prefer to employ them in the form of the class known as reciprocating piston-pumps. These reciprocating piston-pumps are adapted to be'oscillated when constructed as shown, and for that purpose are shown to be supported on trunnions d (1 one being hollow and comprised in pipe D, mounted in suit-able bearings ff, provided with the frame B. These pumps D D are adapted to be simultaneously and uniformly operated by means of suitable mechanisms, which may comprise any suitable system of band wheels and pulleys, sprocketwheels and endless chains, or gear-wheels and pinions, yetIat present prefer to employ gear mechanism, substantially as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, which comprises the driving gearwheel G, driven gear-wheels g g, driving gearwheels G G, and driven gear g g', the two latter gear- Wheels g g being mounted on shafts g g Figs. 1, 2, and 3, on which are also mounted the respective crank-disks H, carrying each .a wrist-pin h, pivotally connected with the piston-rod h of the piston of the respective pumps, as shown in full lines in Fig. 3 and indicated by.dotted lines in Fig. 1. When these pumps are operated by the mechanism provided, the air will be taken into the cylinders of the same alternately through the lower and upper intake check-valves d (1 and the air may readily be compressed within the tanks A A to the degree of pressure preferred and be so maintained by operations of the pumps as to permit alternate discharges of given charges of air from these tanks, for purposes hereinafter described.

In the mechanism shown the driving gearwheel G is shown to be mounted on shaft G on which is mounted the driven band-wheel G while band-wheelG is mounted on the driving-wheel of the engine, which together operate to regularly revolve the said driving gear-wheel G for actuating the mechanism between it and the pistons of the respective pumps.

Between the compressed-air tanks A A and the piston of the air-cylinder of the engine are arranged a pair of suitable air-heating devices adapted to operate alternately for heating small charges of compressed air when taken alternately from said tanks, so that a higher expansive energy may.be developed in each such charge while between the tank taken from and the piston and also while operating between the latter and the respective heads of the cylinder of the engine. Although these air-heating devices may be of any known class and form of construction which may be adapted to heat each charge of compressed air at proper relative intervals and may be located at any suitable point in the line of passage of the compressed-air charge to the piston within the cylinder of the engine, yet I at present prefer to locate these heating devices within a pair of charge-receiving vessels which are provided one in the course of each pipe leading to the air cylinder of the engine from each of said compressed-air tanks, and I also prefer to alternately heat each such air-heating device by a suitable electric current. The drawings illustrate, by

dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 2, two air-heating devices I I, contained each within a chargereceiving vessel 1, and also electric conductors through which suitable electric currents maybe passed alternately through said heaters and be made to heat the same, so as to adapt them to heat and expand the charges of air brought in to contact therewith. These heaters I I, the vessels they are contained in, the pipes in the course of which the said vessels occur, the electric conductors and switching mechanism for regulating the electric currents heating said heaters, the mechanisms for automatically making and breaking the circuits on which each heater occurs, and also for regulating the discharge of the heated compressed air into the air-chest of the engine-cy linder for operating the piston of the same are all illustrated on an enlarged scale in Fig. 4, to which I now refer in my description of my preferred form of devices and mechanisms for heating and regulating the charges of compressed air as taken from the tanks for operating the engine.

The heaters I I to be electrically heated are shown to comprise several bars, strips, or pieces 1' t, which are of substance adapted to offer suitable resistance to the electric current delivered to them from conductors N N. These pieces '5 'i are electrically connected and aggregate such a large superficial area of surface for exposure to the compressed air of the charges employed that the heat may be readily taken up by the charge of compressed air, so

as to heat and expand the same, while at the same time the said pieces '6 themselves may readily be cooled by their exposure to the cooling action of the normal temperature and rapid transmission of their heat to the compressed air of the charge, and thereby be prevented being continuously heated to one given high temperature, while at the same time the heaters may be alternately heated and cooled.

J is an electric switch comprising the conductor J, suitably supported and insulated, and the conductorsjj, also suitably supported and insulated.

K is the main supply-conductor communicating from a suitable source of electricity (which may be a dynamo, storage battery, or chemical battery located near to or far from the engine, as may be selected) to the stationary conductor of the switch.

The conductors J andjj are so arranged that one at least will be movable in reference to the others, and they may be of any preferred form of construction, so that the conductorsjj may be made to alternately have contact with conductor J and alternately make and break the circuit of the electric current between theconductor K and the respective conductors N N, connected with the heaters I I. I at present prefer to form the conductor J in this switch J of metal of good conductivity and in the form of a section of a circle and the conductors j j of similar metal and of suitable form and pivoted by pivots j to a stationary piece and suitably insulated and having their free portions provided each with a contact-point, as 75, whereby electric connections of each said conductorsjj with conductor J may be made and broken by means of suitable automatic mechanisms provided for that purpose. In this form of construction I term the member J of this switch the stationary conductor and members jj movable conductors.

L, Figs. 2 and 4, is a three-way valve arranged between the compressed-air tanks A A and the cylinder of the engine and connected with said tanks by means of pipes L L Figs. 1 and 2, having in their course when heaters I I are provided between said tanks and engine the charge-receiving vessels 1 I. These pipes L L are each provided with a check-valve a, admitting a passage of air only in direction out from said tanks, and a stop-valve a which maybe opened and closed at will and so set as to lessen to any preferred degree the volume of compressed air to be discharged in a given time from the respective tanks. This valve L is shown in Fig. 4 to comprise the two oppositely-located inletopenings land Z, which are respectively communicated to from the chambers of the chargereceiving vessels I I, and the outlet-opening which communicates from the chamber of the valve L to a suitable pipe leading to the air-chest of the engine-cylinder B of any ordinary and known form of construction. This valve has provided in its central chamber a rotal-form plug L which is shown in Fig. 4 to be provided with a single chamber Z located in a side portion thereof and having an extension in the circumference of the plug of about one-third of the whole circumference, as shown, and so located in reference to the inlets and outiets of the valve that when the plug is suitably turned in one direction the said chamber Z' in the plug will be in open communication with the inlet L and outlet Z and the passage of air will be from one of the charge-receiving vessels 1 through the said valve to the pipe leading to the airchest of the cylinder B until the said plug L is turned in proper direction to out off such passage and carry chamber Z in the plug to proper situation for opening communication between inlet Z and outlet Z when the passage of compressed airfrom the other chargereceiving vessel I to the said air-chest of the cylinder 13 will be open until the said plug L has been turned in opposite direction. The said rotal plug L of this valve may be operated by any suitable known mechanism, and the air-chest of the cylinder B of the engine may be provided with an ordinary slide-valve, (not shown,) which requires no particular description.

M is an oscillating arm provided with longitudinal slot'm and adjustable pivot-pin m, pivoted to eccentric-rod M, which is connected with eccentric m on the shaft of the driving-wheel of the engine. By means of the said slot m, movable pivot-pin m, and eccentric-rod the degree of movement of the plug L and volume of compressed air admitted to the cylinder of the engine may be nicely controlled.

0, Fig. at, is the switch-presser, which is preferably carried by arm M, although it may be carried by a second arm, (not shown,) also secured to the plug L This switch-presser is properlyinsnlated and is adapted to be reciprocatingly moved and have contact alternately with the movable conductors jj for tightly pressing one at a time the contactpoints 7c of the same against the stationary conductor J, so as to make an electric circuit in one direction as to heater I, while the circuit in the opposite direction as to the other heater I is broken, and the reverse. When this switch-presser O is'carried in direction to make the circuit of the current to be through one of the heaters I, the three-way valve will be operated at the same time and the plug L be turned to allow a charge of compressed air to pass into the cylinder of the engine (or air-chest of the cylinder) through the outlet-port Z and when the plug L is turned to allow the compressed air to pass into the cylinder of the engine (or an air-chest of the cylinder) through outlet-port Z the air under high pressure in the tank connected with one of the heaters I will be forced out therefrom in a suitable charge, as stop-valve a in pipe L will allow, and enter the heating vessel I, in which heater I is brought to a high temperature by the electric energy passing through the parts thereof, when the air to be heated and expanded will move in contact with the surfaces of said heater and become expanded and of great pressure and moving within the cylinder at one side of the piston will drive the same to the length of a full stroke, when a reversal of parts will be had, a new charge of compressed air will be heated and introduced into the cylinder from its opposite end, and expanding against the opposite side of the piston drive it back to its full length of stroke. These operations being continued, the reciprocating movement of the piston will actuate the drive-shaft of the engine, when one drive-wheel thereon will drive the driven pulley on the drive-shaft of the driving-gear of the mechanism which actu- IIO tanks to said charge-receiving vessels 1' I, heating devices I I contained within said charge-receiving vessels, of valve L described, pipes leading from the said vessels I I to the inlets of said valve, a pipe leading from the outlet of said valve to an air-chest provided with the valve mechanism described and communicating with said cylinder 13, and mechanism described between said valveL and the engine whereby said valve is automatically operated, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. The combination with two compressed- 'air tanks, an air-engine, and mechanism be tween said engine and said two tanks, adapted to regulate the supply of air charges to the pistoniof the? cylinder of the engine alternately from said tanks, of an electrical heater arranged between each of said tanks and the piston of said cylinder, conductor K electric switch mechanism between conductor K and said heaters, and mechanism operated by the engine, operating said switch mechanism for making and breaking the circuits respectively between the said conductor and said heaters, alternately.

3. The combination with two compressedair tanks, an air-engine, mechanism operated by the said engine for regulating the discharge of compressed-air charges into the cylinder of said engine, electric heaters between the piston of said cylinder and said tanks, electric supply-conductor K and a switching mechand for purposes set forth.

5. The combination with an air-engine, airchest, eccentric and rod, two compressed-air tanks, air-valve L, air-pipes L L ,and a checkvalve in the course of each of said air-pipes, of a heater vessel also in the course of each air pipe, an electric supply conductor, an electric heater wi thin each said vessel, switching mechanism and conductors between said electric supply-conductor and each heater and mechanism, operated by the engine, making and breaking the circuits of the electric current between the electric supplyconductor and the respective heaters.

MATTHEW FLOOD.

WVitnesses:

ALEX. SELKIRK, JOHN J. KEEDER. 

